


i'm a goner (somebody catch my breath)

by totallyfxcked (avasstarrr)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, I saw the Endgame trailer and was like??, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), sorry about this you guys, this is perfect for Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 00:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16943754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avasstarrr/pseuds/totallyfxcked
Summary: Isolated in a spaceship after the events of the Snap, Tony Stark is finally out of time. That's when he hears it like it's coming from just a room over, playing a familiar tune: a piano.





	i'm a goner (somebody catch my breath)

Tony Stark could feel the air around him growing thin. He could feel the slight dizziness in his head, and the kind of wheeze in his breath. He had always known he'd die alone, but he'd hoped it would occur due to something... heroic. That certainly wasn't the case; it was quite the opposite, in fact.

He felt as if he had failed everyone. No- He knew he failed everyone. He knew that his friends, if they were still alive, all had someone to mourn, and it was all Tony's fault. If he had prepared more, if he had listened more closely to what Strange said, if he hadn't let Nebula send him away in a ship through space all alone-

What-ifs were pointless now, he reasoned. It was far too late to wonder what would have happened. Who knows? Maybe he just would've died anyway. That's how destiny works, isn't it? Maybe this was how Tony was meant to go: alone in his space, his worst fear a reality.

He couldn't afford to think like that though. If his death was set in stone, that meant Peter's was too; there was no way the universe or whatever higher power would do that to him.

_I don't wanna go I don't wanna go I don't wanna go-_

Stop. He took a deep breath, and then instantly regretted it. His lungs simply refused to fill up. Oxygen was remarkably hard to come by. He closed his eyes and wondered if this was how Peter felt: tired and just plain helpless. Sure, Pepper would eventually get his message- that is, if she was alive, but Tony wouldn't dare mess around with the idea that there was even a possibility that she as dead- but it wouldn't matter. They wouldn't get to him in time. He didn't have more than a few hours left.

That's when he heard it: the piano. The sound was soft, like it was coming from a room over.

_"Ugh!"_

_Tony could hear the lid of the laptop slam all the way from the other room._

_"What's up, Pete?"_

_Peter's footsteps pattered towards the room, and the boy plopped down on the couch next to Tony._

_"AP Music Theory is killing me."_

_"Why? I thought you were acing that class."_

_"I mean, I am, but this project is the worst! I had to write my own song, right? but the program they gave us that would play it is terrible! It's meant to be a piano song but I can't play the piano!"_

_"What's wrong with the program?"_

_Peter sighed. "It's all... stiff. I imagined it to be more flowey... I guess."_

_Tony contemplated this for a moment before standing up. "I've got an idea, kid. Grab your sheet music and come with me."_

_He waited for Peter to gather his sheet music before heading off towards a small room._

_"Where are we going?" Peter asked._

_"God, kid, do you have any patience?"_

_"Not really," Peter quipped, earning a scoff from Tony._

_The man opened the door slowly. The room was simple, near empty. There were a few shelves on the edges, but in the center of it all was a fancy, sparkling grand piano._

_"This is really nice, Mr. Stark, but I don't know how to play the piano."_

_"Pass me the music, kid."_

_Peter furrowed his eyebrows, but did as he was told. Tony placed the music on the stand, took a breath, and stretched his hands before placing his fingers on the keys._

_He began playing the song Peter wrote, growing more comfortable with Peter's shocked gaze as he played more and more._

_The song had a familiar tune to it. The beginning sounded like something a kid would play on a toy piano, but it grew more complicated as the measures went by._

_Tony finished the song with an awkward flourish, clearing his throat and turning to face the kid. "Nice song. I-"_

_"When did you learn how to play the piano?!?" Peter asked giddily, pushing Tony over so he too could sit on the piano bench._

_"My mom taught me."_

_"That's so cool! Can you play it again? I was too shook last time to actually listen to the song!"_

_"Of course, kid."_

The piano was playing that song. Peter's song. Tony found a small smile on his face despite the circumstances.

He used whatever air and energy he had left to him the tune of the song quietly, ignoring the heavy feeling taking him over. He hummed and hummed until it felt like he was floating; his fingers and toes tingled like he was in a dream.

Tony found himself falling asleep to the tune of the piano, just like he used to when he was a child. Though he knew his skin was freezing cold, he felt an odd sort of warmth.. a comfort. He hoped deeply that, wherever Peter was, he could hear the song, too. He hoped it made him think of better times, where his worst problem was figuring out how to do a project for school.

As the piano continued to ring out the tune, Tony felt the pain grasping him grow weaker and weaker. Soon, the hunger clawing at his stomach vanished and the dryness taking up his throat did the same. The burning in his lungs faded away. His vision began to fade away, and Tony realized this was the end.

He couldn't bring himself to be upset or angry.. Not as the piano chimed on.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a lot for reading this! I haven't really written anything in ages, but the Endgame trailer had me very pumped! This isn't really edited, but I had to post it quickly before I lost my confidence:) I just did this for fun, so I'm not really looking for any constructive criticism! Thanks!


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